We're going once around the diamond with Baseball
Weekly's Paul White. Who'll be the surprise players and teams this
season? Throw out your pitch and let Paul take a shot at addressing
your questions and comments.

Venice, CA: Hi Paul. Thanks for doing this. My question is: Will
we ever see the Designated Hitter eliminated in our lifetime? There just
doesn't seem to be the need for it anymore in this expansion/ juiced
ball/ diluted pitching era. It only prolongs career of aging veterans and
in some cases (Frank Thomas and Brad Fullmer), prevents younger athletes
from grabbing a glove and taking the field.

Paul White: Our lifetime? Depends how old you are. There isn't a
big push by anyone right now to eliminate the DH. If it were to happen,
it would be grandfathered out over a long period of time because of teams
committing contracts to players who are DH-only types. But the union would
like to keep it because DH's tend to be higher-salaried guys.Chattanooga, Tennesse: As a life long LA Dodgers fan..if the pitching
staff stays healthy and pitches up to potential...what are LA's chances
of winning the NL and World Series?

Paul White: The biggest challenge probably is getting out of the
tough NL West. You're right that pitching is the key. The offense is weaker
than either Arizona's or San Francisco's. So, it's imperative that Kevin
Brown and Andy Ashby stay healthy and that Odalis Perez lives up to his
promise. I still seem them as the third-best team in the division but not
by so much that they can't make up the difference.Dallas, Tx: With that court case in Seattle that stated that the
public has the right to view what is happening in publically funded ballparks,
is MLB looking into this issue? If so, what is the status?

Paul White: There hasn't been any official statement from MLB that
I'm aware of. My suspicion is that they're trying to figure out the best
way to keep the public as far away as possible.Brett, Cincy: Regarding the state of baseball, seems to me that a
lot of people focus on the disparity in team salaries and say that a salary
cap is what's needed. This by itself limits only the financial well-being
of the players. Any solution needs to fairly address 3 areas - 1) the players
well-being, relative to the owners, 2) the owners, relative to the players,
and 3) level competitive potential amongst teams. A salary cap only addresses
#2, and thus by itself will not work. A luxury tax sytem paired with extensive
revenue-sharing is a solution that addresses all 3 areas. One final critical
component would be a minimum team payroll, to ensure that no owner can sit
back and reap the benefit that others generate. Not only must all of baseball
realize that players and owners cannot prosper at the expense of one another,
but it must also realize that from a business perspective, New York and
Cincinnati are not competitors. But rather together, all the teams make
up the product of "baseball", which competes for the customers'
money with the NFL, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, riding bicycles, watching sit-coms,
etc. Any thoughts? Any guess on when the players will strike?

Paul White: There seems to be three groups among the players. Those
who don't want to strike during the season because they can't be seen as
the bad guys, which seems to be the pervasive sentiment at the moment. Another
group would like to repeat the 1994 scenario and strike around August. And
another group has suggested walking in June, early enough that Bud Selig
might have time to react and make a deal to save Milwaukee's All-Star Game.Charlottesville, VA: Paul, What's your best guess as to the order
in which the following will happen: 1)Contraction 2)Strike/lockout 3)Team
in Washington, D.C. 4)Selig exits as commish 5)Red Sox win World Series
6)Cubs win World Series Thanks, Don

Paul White: I'll go with 2-3-4 and a three-way tie for never.Findlay, OH: I've been offerred Jon Leiber for Vincent Padilla.
Any projections on whether Padilla will continue his awesome start or should
I trade him while he's hot?

Paul White: Padilla is for real and Lieber will miss his next start,
which could be a sign of his huge innings load of the past few years catching
up. If Lieber can stay in the rotation, he will be more consistent but Padilla
has a much better high side. How's that for leaving you on your own?Walnut Creek, CA: Hi Paul - can you give us any insight on the Texas
reliever situation, now that John RocKKKer is in the minors?? Thanks.

Paul White: They say Irabu is the closer now. There going to have
to trade someone from their OF/2B/DH mix if they're serious about being
a factor this year.St Louis MO: what about Wade Miller? do you see his "dead arm"
as a long-term problem? Vincenet Padilla is available, and i gots an itchy
trigger finger.

Paul White: I doubt Miller is a long-term problem. But Padilla is
a long-term gem.Shrewsbury, MA: I hear everyday ... he is out of options ... I know
this means a player can't be sent down without clearing waivers, but
can you tell me what the rules are concerning options to AAA? Pat

Paul White: A player can be optioned in any of three seasons. After
that he is out of options. Within any of those seasons, though, he can be
optioned an unlimited number of times.CHARLOTTE, NC: PAUL, LOVE YOUR COLUMN!!! I KNOW IT IS EARLY BUT DO
YOU THINK THE YANKS WILL STLL PURSUE VLAD GUERERRO!!! I STILL DO NOT BELIEVE
SPENCER AND VANDERWAL ARE THE ANSWER. I DO NOT BELIEVE I AM GOING INTO A
PANIC YET BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE HIM!!! WHAT ABOUT CLIFF FLOYD AS
AN ALTERNATIVE?

Paul White: Thanks. Repeat after me, and more importantly after Expos
GM Omar Minaya: Guerrero will not be traded. Floyd is a real possibility
if the Marlins fall out of the race.muncie, in : The national league central seems to have two, three
team tiers. St. Louis, Houston, Chicago on the top, Cincinatti, Pittsburg,
Milwaukee on the bottom. Who do you view as the best and worst of these
teams?

Paul White: The Cubs have to prove they belong in one group or the
other--maybe they're really in between. I think it's a toss-up between the
Astros and Cardinals, but I like Houston slightly more. I thought Pittsburgh
was the worst team coming into the season but Milwaukee is making a real
case for worst team in the NL. With so many games within the division, they'll
get a chance to prove it head to head.Washington, DC : What's with the Pittsburgh Pirates? 5-2. First
place. Are they for real or is just a fantasy?

Paul White: I think their young pitching makes them respectable instead
of the awful team a lot of us thought they were. I don't think they can
really contend because their only dependable offense is Brian Giles and
Aramis Ramirez. That will catch up to them soon.Baltimore, MD : With the Orioles starting out 1-6, do you think that
Peter Angelos will stop acting like a worse version of George Steinbrenner
and let Syd Thrift run the team without his butting in to every decision?

Paul White: No. Like it or not, Angelos is a hands-on owner. There's
not a lot the Orioles can do on the trade front during the season because
they don't the necessary depth to deal from.Jacksonville, FL : What do you think of Chuck Finley? It's OK
to tell a joke, but I mean his outlook for the season? 15-20 wins possible?

Paul White: I think 15 wins is possible as long as the Indians keep
hitting. You can pretty much depend on Finley for a lot of innings, some
outstanding starts here and there and an equal number of total clunkers.Seattle, WA : Will the number of Latin players in baseball continue
to increase? Why or why not?

Paul White: Probably yes. Baseball still has very few rivals in those
countries to attract the best athletes. In the U.S., some of the best athletes
-- an increasing number it seems -- gravitate toward other sports.Crofton, MD : Any chance the Phils will convince Scott Rolen to stay
beyond this season?

Paul White: They'll have to do it on the free-agent market. I think
that's a possibility, but a long shot. Winning would go a long way to that
end.Rochester, NY : Any word on the closer situation in Milwaukee? Is
the job Chad Fox's when he gets back?

Paul White: First capable guy who shows up healthy can have it. Since
Fox is far more likely than Leskanic to show up, he'll get the opportunity
when he's ready.Columbia, MD : The O's hitting couldn't be worse (and I mean
that quite literally), but should I buy into how well the pitching staff
has done this first week? When I checked the stats yesterday they had the
third lowest team era in the AL.

Paul White: I think there are some solid young pitchers there. Guys
like Julio and Lopez should continue to improve. It's all relative, however,
because the lack of offense will put a lot of pressure on these guys. The
ERA's probably won't translate into a lot of victories.Martinsburg, WV : Even with Griffey healthy do you think that the
reds stood a chance at competing in the central division?

Paul White: No, they don't have nearly enough pitching to say with
Houston and St. Louis.Columbia, MO : I am a frustrated Cubs fan who annually convinces
himself this is going to be the year to break the streak. With Farnsworth
breaking his foot and joining the already crowded DL, can the cubs contend
in the central? Also if the Cubs falter yet again, will Don Baylor be shown
the door?

Paul White: They can't get too far behind St. Louis and Houston because
those teams are unlikely to go into prolonged slumps. I'm skeptical that
the Cubs can get into the race unless the starting pitching becomes dominating,
which could happen if Wood and Lieber get on hot streaks and Cruz steps
up. Baylor could feel the heat but only if the front office thinks the team
was healthy enough to contend. And right now, it's nowhere near healthy
enough.Decatur, GA : How do you think the Braves pitcing staff will fair
over a full season?

Paul White: Fair. They don't have the starting depth of past years
and the bullpen is very green. That's going to hurt because they're probably
going to need more relievers than ever before.Exton, PA: Hey Paul. I'm in a 5x5 mixed league. Wondering who
you thought was going to have a better all around season and what you saw
from them: Burrell, Hidalgo, Damon, Carlos Lee or Ben Grieve? Thanks!

Paul White: I like them all, but I would rank them in just the order
you list them.Atlanta, Ga : What do you think about the Atlanta bullpen. I think
they're in trouble this year.

Paul White: Amen. As I said earlier, that's too much pressure for
too many untried guys. I think some of them are going to develop and I especially
like Spooneybarger. But too many innings will be needed from these guys.Cape Coral, Fl : Do you think the Texas Rangers pitching staff could
find a magic wand or pitch blindfolded and pitch any better ?

Paul White: The magic wand they need is the one that will heal Chan
Ho Park and Jeff Zimmerman. With those two guys healthy, the staff would
be close to good enough to be successful with the offense Texas has.Andover, MA : Is this the year for the Red Sox?

Paul White: Just like all those other years were. I don't think their
starting pitching will hold up over the long run. They're a good team but
they'll need a couple of teams to underachieve to make the playoffs.Buffalo, New York : What is your opinion on Sidney Ponson? A guy
in my league has predicted a breakout year for him in 2002.

Paul White: If you have Ponson, trade him to that guy. Plenty of
potential but I'm not expecting the results that soon, if at all.Burbank, CA : How do you think Furcal is going to do? He got off
to a rough start last year and hasn't got a hit in two games this year.
Any thoughts? Also, in the NL are their any surprise steal guys to look
at that may have slipped through drafts?

Paul White: I think he'll be OK. The Braves need his catalyst ability
at the top of the order. But watch out for Atlanta to call up Wilson Betemit
to play either middle infield spot at some point. He could be a steals guy.
Also, Timo Perez could get increased time with the Mets.St. Louis, MO : What do you make of Kris Benson's comeback? Do
you think his May return will be in the starting rotation or will he take
the Matt Morris rehab approach?

Paul White: They'll probably put him in the rotation. Having a legitimate
ace could make the Pirates rotation pretty solid all of the sudden.seattle, wa : Need a second baseman. Have Hairston now on the basis
of his strong spring OBP. Wondering if I should pick up Menechino, Spivey
or Abernathy who seem to be doing well at this very early stage (will any
of them keep it up)? Thanks for your help

Paul White: I still like Hairston. He's had a minor injury problem
and came back last night. Abernathy is a real battler and the D-Rays like
him, so he'll play. The other guys could lose playing time, especially Menechino
after Velarde gets back.Miami, Fl : What type of numbers do you think Luis Gonzalez will
have this year. Thanks

Paul White: Less than last year but still pretty solid. Probably
around .300 and in the 40 homer range is realistic.Minneapolis, MN : I have been offered Matt Morris for Jason Giambi,
and I already have Helton on my team. My top 3 pitchers are Oswalt, Hudson
and Beckett. Should I make the trade?

Paul White: It probably hinges on how the rest of your roster looks.
Morris and Giambi both will have stud-like seasons, as will the other guys
you mention. I'd give slightly better odds on Morris having a Cy Young year
than Giambi having an MVP year.Boulder, CO: Paul, how about some love for the
Phillies? They are as good as any team in the East! They have great hitting,
solid pitching, a fiery coach who hates to lose and the return of Lieberthal
to cement the pitching. The Braves are older and weaker than before, Shef
can't carry them all year. The Mets will have to be exposed for their
weak pitching and poor D sooner or later and therefore, the door is open
for the Phils to win the East. Your thoughts?

Paul White: Hey, I was the only guy on our staff who picked them
to win the division. In fact, I picked them to go to the World Series. We
should all get so much love.